Restaurant La Chronique — Restaurant in Montreal

There are just so many better places in Montreal to spend your money. The food here was so mid for some of the highest prices we have seen since moving to the city. I would not normally go into such detail but for over $300 (from the a la carte, thank god we didn’t do the tasting), I think people should know what they are getting.

The service was ok, but not great. The constant upselling and near condescending way that the wine and menu items were described to us came off as quite pretentious; and frankly, laughable once we actually tried the food. Bless him, our server tried but unfortunately it was just overall awkward.

The restaurant itself had no atmosphere. It’s just white walls with some generic abstract canvases and the music ranged from Charlotte Cardin, to background jazz, to nothing at all.

Both of my partners dishes (the sweetbreads and duck) had no seasoning, and I would wager his duck was left in the sous vide too long as it had a near mushy texture. My starter (tuna) tasted like straight up lime juice, the fish was not fresh tasting, the pieces were not even cut all the way through, and it was missing some elements (which I didn’t notice until someone next to us ordered the same thing and it looked different). My main (the steak) was ok, but the ratatouille it came with was so overcooked it was all one colour of mush. For $58 I expect much better.

The best thing we had was the wine, of which they do have a large selection, and the bread ($5 charge) was decent but certainly not mind blowing.

The final kicker was when we paid and the server told us to choose one of the tip percentages on the bill (starting at 20%).

*Disclaimer that we had a treater gift card which covered a lot of the bill so we were significantly less pissed and we ended up just laughing it off and leaving, but we will not go back and do...

Delicious 7-course tasting menu with an unfortunate lack of attention at the end.

I booked the 7-course tasting menu there (225$ cad per serving) with my spouse to celebrate her 30th birthday. She’s still recovering from a stomach operation which made her temporarily intolerant to gluten, something I carefully mentioned upon reservation and repeated to the waiter on our arrival just to be sure everyone was aware in the kitchen. Both the waiter and booking staff confirmed the chef frequently adapts dishes as needed for gluten free customers. However as we were completing dinner, which had been great until desert, we were served with a dish that included a crust that was made in part of gluten. This was very unfortunate because my spouse started having a reaction within minutes and was unwell for the following 24 hours - and we had to cut our night out short and return home instead of enjoying the local night life a little longer.

It’s a sour finish to a night of foodie indulgence and waiter service that could have been otherwise fantastic. I’m giving them 3 star because at their cost level a high degree of attention to detail and refinement is expected. The waiter did offer to reduce my spouse’s service to a 5-course tasting menu as a measure of apology but that was entirely besides the point as I did not even ask for a price reduction. Dining at that price point isn’t about money, it’s about precision and care. The chef didn’t mind having a waiter apologize for him and as we were the last folks left in the restaurant and they...

I didnt even make it to the restaurant to try the food so this is a 1-star for customer service and the reservation process during MTL a table. Dont be fooled to think this restaurant has space when you book online and make sure to call them back or they will cancel your seemingly confirmed appointment if you do not call back within 2.5 hours of their phone call to you. Without any warning.

I was told I could come for 9pm instead of my original spot at 7:30. When I went online to see their availability after I hung up, there were still spots open for earlier on in the evening, not only 9pm.

The food may be great but the customer service is horrible and reason alone to not even bother going. It cannot be that great to warrant such a feeling of "you should be so lucky" to eat with us feeling. The best restaurants in the world treat their customers - potential and those in the restaurant - with class and respect.

If the restaurant needs to secure their bookings, do what all top (if La Chronique is actually top) restaurants do and require a credit card to book with a clear cancellation policy or keep your reservations to phone only. Online reservations should not require a double confirmation - if I booked online, I booked online. If your restaurant is so busy you need to know that I will show up, even though I booked it, then state that clearly in your first contact or find another way to manage...